Blogs

BPKC Resources

By Jessica Saravia, AIA posted 2 days ago
The BPKC Leadership Group is going to create an updated page for building performance and building science resources. Stay tuned for developments and please feel free to reach out if you have suggestions for resources or topics that we might be missing.

Letter from the chair, December 2025 - Phillip W. Neuberg FAIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 2 days ago
What a productive twelve months it has been, thanks to the enthusiastic contributions of our leadership and Ad hoc members, consisting of architects and allied professionals working in the public sphere to develop, execute, and celebrate exemplary designs for the various communities we serve internationally. For its more than 6,500 members, the PAKC this year created stimulating programs and AIAU certified webinars: Revitalizing Urban Infrastructure: Transforming Underutilized Transportation Corridors into Sustainable and Vibrant Public Spaces ; Reimagining Behavioral Health & Homeless Services in San Francisco ; a day-long symposium entitled: Architecture ...

Fresh Perspectives: Meet Your Incoming COTE Leadership

By Katie Nordenson posted 2 days ago
Pictured from left to right: Beth Brant, Timothy Lock, and Lisa Richmond. The Committee on the Environment (COTE) is thrilled to welcome three new Leadership Group members, each of whom will be an incredible addition to the team. Let’s learn a bit about who they are, what makes them passionate about design excellence, and resources and projects they love. Beth Brant, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, LFA , is a Principal and Director of Sustainability at DSGN Associates , where she leads the firm’s commitment to regenerative design and the adaptive reuse of existing buildings. With over two decades of experience, Beth has built a career around transforming underutilized ...

[Webinar] AIA COTE Top Ten 2025 Showcase: Celebrating Sustainable Design Excellence

By Lindsey Falasca, AIA posted 4 days ago
Join us for an inspiring showcase of the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten 2025 Award Winners . The COTE Top Ten is the industry’s premier recognition program for sustainable design excellence. This pecha kucha-style webinar will highlight the winning projects from 2025, exploring how architects are pushing boundaries to create buildings that are not only beautiful and functional but also resilient and deeply responsive to their communities and the environment. What: Webinar to learn more about each of the 2025 award winners When: Tuesday, January 27, 2pm ET How: Register here! (Get a sneak preview of the projects here) ...

Letter from the Chair: Where do we go from here? The critical quest to widen the circle.

By Ellen Mitchell, AIA posted 4 days ago
2025 was a tough year for sustainability. Federal incentives were repealed, renewable energy projects stalled, and even our language around environmental issues came under increased scrutiny. The sense of momentum we had been building over the last decade suddenly slowed, and many in the profession were left asking: Where do we go from here? As the national landscape grew more uncertain, a familiar refrain grew louder: we must now focus our efforts on a more local level. The advice is simple enough - talk to your neighbors, engage your community, step outside your bubble – but I’ve come to realize that this is much more complex than it sounds. It ...

RUDC Letter from the Chair (December, 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 7 days ago
As many of us review our year-end “wrapped” summaries—whether from our music, reading, or even transit apps—we thought it fitting to offer an RUDC Wrapped for 2025 . It has been a transformative year across AIA, and throughout this period of change, one constant has stood out: the remarkable consistency and depth of engagement from our members. This year, RUDC surpassed 10,300 active participants on the AIA Community Hub . If you're not yet connected there, we encourage you to join the conversation—subscribe, share your thoughts, and tell us how RUDC can better support your practice and your city. RUDC now connects 22 state and local chapters ...

AIA Interfaith Design Knowledge Community Project Spotlight: St. Patrick Catholic Church

By Alison Karfeld posted 7 days ago
Project Name: St. Patrick Catholic Church, Firm: RDG Planning & Design What and where is this project? In the heart of Elkhorn, Nebraska—where suburban growth has transformed once-rural farmland into flourishing neighborhoods — St. Patrick Catholic Church has served its community for more than 150 years. But as the number of parish families surged to nearly 3,000, it became clear that the original church campus could no longer support the vitality and diversity of the parish’s ministries. So, the parish set out to reimagine its entire campus, and, working alongside RDG Planning & Design, began to envision a place simultaneously rooted ...

December Letter from the 2025 IDKC Chair, Elisabeth Bakker Johnson, AIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 7 days ago
Dear Colleagues and Friends, As my term as Chair of the AIA Interfaith Design Knowledge Community (IDKC) comes to a close, I write with deep gratitude, reflecting on a year rich in dialogue, shared learning, and spiritual depth. It has been an honor to serve this remarkable community of architects, designers, scholars, and seekers who believe in the power of design to connect, heal, and inspire. This year, we explored the sacred through a variety of lenses—cultural, architectural, and spiritual. In March, our Town Hall brought together voices from across the country to discuss the IDKC’s 2025 theme of adaptive reuse and to share visions for the future of ...

Together for a Living Future

By Kira Gould, Hon. AIA posted 9 days ago
Together for a Living Future By Kira Gould, Hon. AIA As you consider the learning and gathering opportunities in the year ahead, I’m here to remind you about Living Future . This year, it is in Seattle -- the Pacific Northwest was the first home to the organization and its leading-edge certification program, the Living Building Challenge (which turns 20 later this year -- two decades of pushing boundaries and lifting standards! ). Most of you know me as a COTE community member, but I am also a member of Living Future. As such, I’m eager to share a bit about why I will be at Living Future 26 in April in Seattle. For starters, I’m ...

COTE Book Review: What We Can Do Right Now: Allison Anderson’s Climate Adaptation for Architects: A Design Toolkit

By Kira Gould, Hon. AIA posted 9 days ago
Please join us for the COTE book talk about this book – with the author, Allison Anderson, FAIAI, and the reviewer, Megan Recher Campos, AIA – on 24 February 2026, from 12-1pm Eastern Time. The virtual event is being hosted by the AIA North Carolina COTE with AIA Triangle COTE. Register here . COTE Book Review What We Can Do Right Now Allison Anderson’s Climate Adaptation for Architects: A Design Toolkit by Megan Recher Campos, AIA The increasing number of natural disasters worldwide makes investing in adaptation and resilience critical to the future of the design profession and the built environment. Sometimes it can be overwhelming ...

Share your Circular Economy Example Case Study

By Kjell Anderson, FAIA posted 9 days ago
HI everyone - As you know, the circular economy space doesn’t have a long list of published case studies, so practitioners are not able to cite examples. We’d love to hear about your example! Some of us have created a brief survey, perhaps 5 minutes per project if you have the information handy. Most of the questions are not required to finish the survey, so feel free to skip them if it’s keeping you from submitting one of your projects. What case studies are relevant? This survey focuses on projects that engage in any kind of product salvage, reuse, or both. What will we use this for? This may be used for many things, from asking people to participate ...

December Member Spotlight: Dave Robar, AIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 9 days ago
Dave Robar, AIA, grew up in rural Michigan, developing a love of the outdoors, fishing in ponds and wading in swamps to capture and play with every creature possible. With the freedom to experiment with building things outdoors, including tree forts and hidden underground dens in what seemed like far-away places at the time, in retrospect he was developing a keen sense of nature and our interwoven relationship to it. At the same time, coupled with a love of making art, Dave’s first exposure to architecture was watching father/architect Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch , using his built-in problem solving skills to help every challenging situation have a better ...

RUDC Letter from the Chair (November, 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 24 days ago
RUDC Letter from the Chair (November 2025) For those who joined us in Dallas for the 2025 RUDC Symposium, a two-day event filled with fast-paced presentations and tours, I hope you left as energized as I did by the enthusiasm, optimism, and problem-solving spirit that defined this year’s symposium. We explored a remarkable range of ideas, leaving both inspired and invigorated by the collective energy brought from cities across the United States and into Canada—looking at you, Toronto contingent! We owe immense gratitude to our speakers and tour leaders for curating such compelling content. Across scales and contexts, discussions spanned community-led ...

Traditional Building Raphael Awards

By Alison Karfeld posted 29 days ago
In August 2025, Traditional Building held its third annual Raphael Awards. Named in honor of Raffaello Sanzio da Urbina (1483-1520), a leading painter of the Italian Renaissance who was a renowned draftsman as well, the Raphael Awards are an architectural drawing competition. The Raphael Awards seek to encourage the study of classical and neoclassical architecture through the practice of drawing and painting by hand. The inaugural Raphael Awards took place in 2023. This year’s entries were judged by designer Christie Franck, architect Steve Rugo of Rugo Raff, and Traditional Building art director Mary Connolly. Nine entries were chosen as winners—see illustrations ...

Peterson Prize Winners Announced

By Alison Karfeld posted 29 days ago
The AIA Historic Resources Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Charles E. Peterson Prize Competition. A student competition of measured drawings, the Charles E. Peterson Prize is presented jointly by the Heritage Documentation Programs (Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record / Historic American Landscapes Survey), a division of the National Park Service, by the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, by the American Institute of Architects, and by the Association for Preservation Technology. The annual competition, currently in its 42nd year, honors Charles E. Peterson, FAIA (1906-2004), a founder of the HABS program, ...

Q4 COTE Network Reminder

By Sean Costello, AIA posted 11-07-2025
Dear COTE Chapter Leaders, Happy Friday! This is a friendly reminder that our Q4 AIA COTE Network Call is scheduled for Tuesday, November 18th at 2:00 PM ET . We’re looking forward to connecting and hearing updates from your chapter! Action Required: Please update your chapter’s slide in the shared Google Slides deck with the following: Highlights from 2025 : Key accomplishments, initiatives, or events. Goals for 2026 : What your chapter is planning or aiming to achieve. Google slide Link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1OB5zhFl2_fo5MdPLadWR6M1nUB919RqO/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117172739344110297076&rtpof=true&sd=true ...

November Member Spotlight: Kitty Yuen, AIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 11-04-2025
Kitty Yuen, AIA, NCIDQ, NCARB Denver Office Director | Cuningham Born in Hong Kong and shaped by a lifetime of global travel, Kitty Yuen’s passion for architecture is deeply rooted in her curiosity about cultures and people. Guided by the belief that design is a form of cultural anthropology, Kitty approaches each project as a journey of exploration—deeply engaging with her clients’ business, work styles, and environments to craft spaces that resonate. With over 30 years of experience, Kitty brings a visionary approach to concept design for corporate campuses, headquarters, academic institutions, and civic spaces. Her leadership has helped ...

November 2025 AIA Corporate Partners COTE Newsletter Article: ROCKWOOL

By Ellie Falcon posted 11-03-2025
A systemic approach to retrofits: The benefits of incorporating stone wool How to choose the right approach and materials for retrofits, from AIA partner Rockwool. ROCKWOOL North America Each retrofit project is a unique and complex undertaking with its own history, conditions, and performance challenges. Taking a holistic approach that accounts for not only the project's goals, but also how all building systems will work together over the long term, will ensure it meets and exceeds modern energy efficiency and fire performance standards, and offers durability for decades. And choosing the right materials, like stone wool insulation, is a critical ...

AIA Practice Management Digest - October 2025

By Rebecca Edmunds, AIA posted 10-30-2025
Notes from the field Perhaps you’ve noticed that despite market uncertainties, everyone is busy. Pulling together the latest issue of PM Digest relied on tried and true writers who shared insights from the field on the value of client feedback, establishing a hub of process resources, growth through giving, and lagging adoption of AI in small- and medium-size firms. Letter from the editor By Rebecca W.E. Edmunds, AIA, MFA What aspects of practice management haven’t we touched in the last few issues? Many, I’m sure. This issue provides insight into a few ‘odd ball’ topics. But first, my brain was swimming with information after AIA25 ...

Collecting, recording and integrating systems and standards into your firm’s culture

By Matthew Szymanski, AIA posted 10-30-2025
By Matthew Szymanski, AIA AIA North Carolina Small Firm Exchange Representative AIA North Carolina Advanced Leadership Program, Steering Committee “Get things in writing” is classic advice for dealing with customers. Our firm recently learned this advice can be just as helpful regarding the firm’s internal systems and standards. At Arx Design Collaborative/Armature Design Build, a 20-person design-build partnership, we invested time into documenting our processes for new team members. Our initial goal was simple: improve our onboarding experience and for onboarding materials to be “clear and effective enough that new team members could contribute ...